UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

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1 UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA EFFECTIVENESS OF DIRECT CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK IN USE OF ARTICLES AMONG IRANIAN EFL MEDICAL STUDENTS AND THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE FEEDBACK AFSHIN SOORI FPP

2 EFFECTIVENESS OF DIRECT CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK IN USE OF ARTICLES AMONG IRANIAN EFL MEDICAL STUDENTS AND THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE FEEDBACK By AFSHIN SOORI Thesis submitted to the School of Graduates Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2012 i

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4 Abstract of thesis presented to the Senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy EFFECTIVENESS OF DIRECT CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK IN USE OF ARTICLES AMONG IRANIAN EFL MEDICAL STUDENTS AND THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE FEEDBACK By AFSHIN SOORI January 2012 Chairman: Associate Professor Arshad bin Abd. Samad, PhD Faculty: Faculty of Educational Studies The current study investigated whether different types of direct corrective feedback are effective in the correct use of English articles and to compare the effectiveness of these types of corrective feedback. In addition, the study tried to determine the sustained effects of the different types of direct corrective feedback on the use of English articles. The relationship between the students attitudes towards the different types of corrective feedback they received during the treatment and the correct use of articles was also explored. In addition, the difference in the students attitudes towards feedback type in different groups was compared. The treatments were different CF types on different functional uses of articles. Students in Group one (DCF alone) received direct error correction above each article error. Group two (DCF-WMLE) received direct error correction above each article error and written meta-linguistic explanation. Group three (DCF-OMLE) received direct error correction above each article error and oral meta-linguistic explanation. Group four (DCF-W/OMLE) received direct error correction as well as written and oral metalinguistic explanation above each article error. Group five (Control) did not receive iii

5 any type of direct corrective feedback or any written or oral meta-linguistic explanation, instead the article errors were underlined. Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran was chosen for the data collection. Nonequivalent control group design was, a type of quasi-experimental research design, was employed in this study because it was a suitable research design to control most of the internal and external validity threats. Data were collected based on purposive sampling from 140 (69 males and 71 females) first year Iranian EFL medical students who enrolled in General English classes. There were six treatment sessions for each type of corrective feedback. Data were collected through three rational cloze tests that had been appropriated through Flesch Reading Ease readability scale and a Likert type questionnaire with seven options (from strongly disagree to strongly agree) and 15 items. The students in all five groups took the same three rational cloze tests (Pretest, post-test, and second post-test), and performed six tasks (three picture stories and three error correction tasks) all in medical contexts, and received feedback on each piece of writing from the researcher as the teacher of the course. The results of repeated measures ANOVA showed that the time-group interaction was significant (Wilks Lambda = 0.85, F (8,268) = 2.75, P = 0.006, partial eta squared = 0.076) and there was a considerable main effect for time (Wilks Lambda = 0.59, F. (2,134) = 46.72, P = 0.000). It also revealed that the type of feedback provided had a significant effect on the correct use of articles and the students who received different types of corrective feedback significantly improved their ability in using the targeted functions of the English article system properly and that they retained this ability when they were given a new test four weeks after the treatment sessions. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that only direct corrective feedback with oral metalinguistic explanation (DCF-OMLE) and direct corrective feedback with written iv

6 and oral meta-linguistic feedback (DCF-W/OMLE) were effective treatment to help students in the correct use of articles. Participants in group four who received direct corrective feedback as well as written and oral meta-linguistic explanation outperformed the other experimental and control groups and resulted in significantly greater ability in the correct use of articles. Concerning the difference in attitude towards feedback type in different groups, the results of post-hoc comparisons revealed that the students attitudes were not the same towards different corrective feedback. It also indicated that the students in group one (DCF alone) had neutral attitudes toward corrective feedback. The students in the second group (DCF- WMLE) and the third group (DCF-OMLE) had slight positive attitudes toward corrective feedback. The students in group four (DCF-W/OMLE) had the positive attitude toward the feedback they received. The results of correlation coefficients indicated that there was a correlation between the students attitudes and their performance on cloze tests. v

7 Abstrak tesis yang dikemukakan kepada senat universiti putra malaysia sebagai memenuhi keperluan untuk ijazah doktor falsafah KEBERKESANAN MAKLUMBALAS KOREKTIF TERHADAP PENGGUNAAN ARTIKEL BAHASA INGGERIS DI KALANGAN PELAJAR PERUBATAN IRAN DAN SIKAP MEREKA TERHADAP MAKLUMBALAS TERSEBUT By AFSHIN SOORI January 2012 Pengerusi: Profesor Madaya Arshad bin Abd. Samad, PhD Fakulti: Pengajian Pendidikan Kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti sama ada jenis-jenis maklum balas korektif yang berbeza berkesan dalam penggunaan artikel Bahasa Inggeris (English articles) yang betul di samping membandingkan keberkesanan jenis-jenis maklum balas korektif. Kajian ini juga cuba menentukan kesan-kesan yang dapat diperhatikan bagi jenis-jenis maklum balas korektif yang berbeza terhadap penggunaan artikel dan bukan artikel dalam suatu tempoh jangka masa. Selain itu, hubungan antara sikap pelajar terhadap jenis-jenis maklum balas korektif yang berbeza yang diterima mereka semasa dalam tempoh rawatan dan penggunaan artikel dan bukan artikel yang betul juga telah diteroka. Selanjutnya, perbezaan antara sikap pelajar terhadap jenis-jenis maklum balas dalam kumpulan yang berbeza juga telah dibandingkan. Pelajar dalam kumpulan satu (Maklumbalas Korektif Terus (DCF) menerima pembetulan secara terus bagi setiap kesilapan artikel yang dilakukan. Pelajar kumpulan dua (Maklumbalas Korektif Terus-Penerangan Penulisan Meta-linguistik vi

8 (DCF-WMLE) menerima pembetulan secara terus dan penerangan meta-linguistik secara bertulis. Kumpulan tiga (Maklumbalas Korektif Terus-Penerangan Oral Metalinguistik (DCF-OMLE) menerima pembetulan secara terus dan penerangan metalinguistik secara lisan bagi setiap kesilapan artikel. Kumpulan empat (Maklumbalas Korektif Terus-Penerangan Penulisan dan Oral Meta-linguistik (DCF-W/OMLE) menerima maklumbalas korektif terus melalui penerangan secara penulisan dan oral bagi setiap kesilapan artikel. Kumpulan lima (kawalan) tidak menerima apa-apa maklumbalas sebaliknya setiap kesilapan dalam artikel digariskan. Universiti Sains Perubatan Shiraz di Iran telah dipilih untuk mengumpul data kajian. Reka bentuk kumpulan kawalan tak setara iaitu sejenis reka bentuk kajian separa eksperimen digunakan dalam kajian ini. Ia merupakan reka bentuk kajian yang sesuai untuk mengawal kebanyakan ancaman kesahan dalaman dan luaran. Data yang dikumpul berdasarkan kepada persampelan bertujuan daripada 140 orang sampel (69 lelaki dan 71 perempuan) yang merupakan pelajar-pelajar perubatan EFL tahun pertama yang mendaftar di kelas Bahasa Inggeris Umum. Terdapat sebanyak enam sesi rawatan dalam kajian ini. Rawatan (CF berbeza jenis pada penggunaan fungsi kata yang berbeza) pelbagai mengikut kumpulan/kelas di mana pelajar-pelajar mendaftar. Pengumpulan data dijalankan secara kuantitatif. Pada fasa ini, data dikumpulkan melalui tiga ujian kloz rasional yang telah disesuaikan melalui Flesch Reading Ease Readability Scale dan soal selidik akhiran dengan 15 item telah disusun dari sangat tidak setuju ke sangat setuju. Pelajar-pelajar dalam kesemua lima kumpulan telah mengambil tiga ujian kloz rasional yang sama (Ujian pra, Ujian pasca dan Ujian pasca kedua), dan enam tugasan (tiga cerita bergambar dan tiga tugasan membetulkan kesilapan) kesemuanya dalam konteks perubatan, dan menerima maklum balas bagi setiap tugasan daripada penyelidik yang bertindak sebagai guru vii

9 kursus tersebut. Kajian ini mendapati bahawa jenis maklum balas yang disediakan mempunyai kesan yang signifikan terhadap penggunaan artikel yang betul dan pelajar-pelajar yang menerima maklum balas korektif yang pelbagai telah meningkatkan kebolehan mereka secara signifikan dalam menggunakan fungsi yang disasarkan dalam sistem artikel Bahasa Inggeris dengan baik, dan mereka dapat mengekalkan kebolehan ini apabila mereka diberi satu ujian yang baharu selepas empat minggu sesi rawatan. Keputusan pengukuran berulang ANOVA menunjukkan bahawa interaksi masa-kumpulan adalah signifikan dan terdapat kesan utama yang dipertimbangkan untuk masa (Wilks Lambda = 0.85, F (8,268) = 2.75, P = 0.006, partial eta squared = 0.076). Peserta kajian menunjukkan prestasi yang berbeza pada masa yang berbeza iaitu dari ujian pra, ujian pasca dan ujian pasca kedua. Oleh itu, dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa kesan rawatan didapati tidak sama pada kumpulan yang berbeza. Membandingkan kumpulan-kumpulan berbeza, pesertapeserta dalam kumpulan empat yang menerima maklum balas korektif secara langsung, bertulis dan penjelasan meta-linguistik lisan telah mengatasi kumpulan eksperimen dan kawalan yang lain dan menunjukkan kebolehan yang secara signifikan lebih baik dalam penggunaan artikel yang betul. Peningkatan yang seterusnya adalah untuk kumpulan tiga (DCF dengan penjelasan meta-linguistik lisan), kemudian kumpulan dua (DCF dengan penjelasan meta-linguistik bertulis). Peserta yang menerima rawatan meta linguistik lisan dan bertulis telah menunjukkan peningkatan yang terbanyak. Keputusan pekali korelasi menunjukkan bahawa sikap pelajar adalah tidak sama terhadap maklum balas korektif yang berbeza. Peserta dalam kumpulan yang menerima hanya DCF bersikap berkecuali manakala peserta dalam kumpulan DCF dengan penjelasan meta-linguistik bertulis dan kumpulan DCF dengan penjelasan meta-linguistik lisan mempamerkan sikap positif yang rendah. viii

10 Peserta yang menerima gandingan penjelasan meta-linguistik lisan dan bertulis pula telah menunjukkan sikap positif terhadap maklum balas korektif mereka. Ia juga menunjukhan bahawa hubungan secara langsung ditemui antara keputusan soal selidik dan keputusan tiga ujian kloz. ix

11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to extend my gratitude to the almighty God for granting me the courage, the energy, and mental stability to pursue this Ph.D. program. It has been a strenuous and emotional journey for me in completing this thesis. I have also come to this stage with the guidance, support and encouragement from many people. Naming all would be quite impossible. Nevertheless, I would like to extend words of appreciation to those who have supported me emotionally and mentally throughout this journey as a graduate student and the completion of this thesis. I wish to convey my sincere and deepest gratitude to Dr Arshad Abd. Samad the head of the supervisory committee, who has unrelentlessly guided me, shared with me his expertise and vast knowledge which had resulted in the fruition of this thesis. I wish to extend my deep and heartfelt gratitude especially to other members of committee, Professor Kamariah Abu Bakar and Dr Fadzilah who were the pillars of my strength from whom I draw immense knowledge and wisdom from their insights and input towards completing this course of study. Without their support and their encouragement, none of this would have been possible. I owe a great many thanks and appreciations to Dr Yamini from Shiraz University, whose extensive advice, counsel, and willingness to read and comments given during the writing process will never be forgotten. My personal thanks to all my parents, parents-in-law, brothers, and sisters, I am deeply indebted, for without their support, encouragement, patience, prayers, and x

12 love throughout the duration of this course; this would not have been possible. I am so blessed! Thanks. Finally, sincere thanks should be expressed to my dear wife Mahdieh, whose overwhelming presence could be felt like a shadow and gave me unflagging support during the highs and lows that inevitably accompany the preparation of a thesis of this magnitude. Thank you for your love, patience, encouragement, and tolerance towards me while I worked on this piece. I express my gratitude and indebtedness to my loving wife by dedicating this thesis to her. xi

13 I certify that an Examination Committee has met on 31 January 2012 to conduct the final examination of Afshin Soori on his PhD thesis entitled Effectiveness of Direct Corrective Feedback in Use of Articles among Iranian EFL Medical Students and their Attitudes Towards the Feedback in accordance with Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (Higher Degree) Act 1980 and Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (Higher Degree) Regulations The Committee recommended that the student be awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Members of the Examination Committee were as follows: Abdul Rahman bin Md Aroff, PhD Professor Faculty of Educational Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia (Chairman) Mardziah Hayati binti Abdullah, PhD Associate Professor Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication Universiti Putra Malaysia (Internal Examiner) Roselan bin Baki Senior Lecturer Faculty of Educational Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia (Internal Examiner) Peter Lutzker, PhD Professor Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee India (External Examiner) SEOW HENG FONG, PhD Professor and Deputy Dean School of Graduate Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia Date: 23 April 2012 xii

14 This thesis was submitted to the Senate of Universiti Putra Malaysia and has been accepted as fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The members of the Supervisory Committee were as follows: Arshad bin Abd. Samad, PhD Associate Professor Faculty of Educational Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia (Chairman) Kamariah bte Abu Bakar, PhD Professor Faculty of Educational Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia (Member) Fadzilah Abd Rahman, PhD Senior lecturer Faculty of Educational Studies Universiti Putra Malaysia (Member) BUJANG BIN KIM HUAT, PhD Professor and Dean School of Graduate studies Universiti Putra Malaysia Date: xiii

15 DECLARATION I declare that the thesis is my original work expect for quotations and citations which have been duly acknowledged. I also declare that it has not been previously, and is not concurrently, submitted for any other degree at Universiti Putra Malaysia or at any other institution. AFSHIN SOORI Date: 31 January 2012 xiv

16 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT iii ABSTRAK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS DECLARATION LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study Errors English Article Errors Iranian EFL Learners Problems in Using English Articles 1.3 Corrective Feedback Students Attitudes toward Corrective Feedback 1.4 Statement of the Problem Objectives Objectives of the Study 1.6 Research Questions Significance of the Study Limitations of the Study Definition of Key Terms 25 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Overview Corrective Feedback in Second Language Learning CF Strategies 2.3 Related Concepts in Corrective Feedback Consciousness and Noticing Implicit and Explicit Knowledge Face Related Hypotheses and Theories Interaction Hypothesis Noticing Hypothesis 42 vi x xiv xxi xxii xv

17 2.4.3 The Humanistic Approach Feedback in the Classroom Research evidence on the Effectiveness of Corrective Feedback The Effectiveness of Different Types of Corrective Feedback Explicitness Mode of Feedback 2.8 Students Attitudes towards Corrective Feedback The Article System Chapter Summary 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction Research Design Dependent and Independent variables Study Location and Duration Population of the Study Sampling Method 3.6 Validity of the Quasi-Experimental Nonequivalent Control Group Design Internal Validity 3.7 External Validity Pretest-Treatment Interaction Reactive Arrangement Specificity of Variables Treatment Diffusion Multiple-Treatment Interference Experimenter Effect Selection-Treatment Interaction 3.8 Treatment Measurement Stages Pre-test Stage Post-test Stage Delayed post-test stage 3.10Instrumentation Rational Cloze Tests 3.11Attitudinal Scale 3.12Validity of Instrument Validity of Cloze Tests xvi

18 3.12.2Validity of Attitudinal Scale 3.13Reliability of Instruments Reliability of Cloze Tests Reliability of the Attitudinal Scale 3.14Scoring Procedure for the cloze tests 3.15Scoring Procedure for the Attitudinal Scale 3.16Writing Tasks Picture Story Error Correction Task 3.17Schedule 3.18Procedure First week Second Week Third Week Fourth and Fifth Weeks Ninth Week 3.19Data Collection 3.20Data Analysis 4 RESULTS Introduction Review of Research Objectives Demographic Information Data Analysis Descriptive Statistics Inferential Statistics Conclusion SUMMARY, DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATION AND IMPLICATION Introduction Summary of the Major Findings Final Discussion Discussion on the Effectiveness of Different Types of Direct Corrective Feedback Discussion on the Sustained Effect of Different Types of Corrective Feedback Discussion on the Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Types of Direct Corrective Feedback 163 xvii

19 5.3.4 Discussion on the Students Attitudes towards the Different Types of Corrective Feedback Implications Recommendations for Further Studies 168 REFERENCES APPENDICES 198 BIODATA OF STUDENT xviii